Top of Europe

There are not enough superlatives in my vocabulary to describe the spectactular views one is able to take in from the sight-seeing vantage points in Switzerland. Our trip to Jungfraujoch was one of those unforgetable adventures.

The bottom picture below shows the building constructed on that peak that serves as a platform for breathtaking views for miles and miles around in Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France all at once.

I share a few pictures here of views we captured on our train trip to the Top of Europe. The train, which ran on a cog rail, traveled through a tunnel several kilometers long that took 300 workers 16 years to build back in the early 1900s.

The viewing platform for Jungfrau and surrounding country

Back home from Switzerland

Wow. This has been a full two weeks with my family, my practice, and learning about another part of the world.

As I type this, I’m flying over the Atlantic Ocean thinking about all the spiritual lessons learned, the progress to be grateful for, the ever-increasing unity and harmony in my family, and the new opportunities that lie ahead.

I never go on vacation, truly, in the traditional definition of the word. I do not see my life as divided into compartments, into fun, time-off, and work. Work for me has never been “work,” as many people think of work in terms of drudgery, duty and obligation. Work for me is fun.

The full-time practice of Christian Science is pure joy. It’s all about experiencing more and more of God’s goodness and healing power everyday. It’s not a 9-5 job, or a position lorded over by an uncaring boss and an unforgiving set of rules. It’s a way of life. It’s a spiritual discipline that infiltrates the actions, words, and conduct of those who practice its laws.

But the full-time practice also requires time devoted to one’s patients, and that’s why occasional time-outs, or at least, partial time-outs, called vacations, are needed to be sure I spend adequate time with my wife and children.

This last trip to Switzerland was a success on all fronts. For 15 consecutive days, the four of us were together 24 hours a day, and we had a wonderful time. Because of traveling demands, we each had to express patience, understanding, care and attention to each other in deeper ways than living independently in the fast lane back home often requires, and we came out better for it.

Yesterday, the tour guide commented to our travel group of 40 that this was the first time she didn’t take someone to a doctor on this long of a trip. She was amazed. Typically, 3-4 people end up sick and needing a doctor, she reported.

I thought back to the first day when she was laying down the rules for us to abide by. One expectation she outlined was that if anyone exhibited any kind of health problem, she wanted them to think about going to a doctor for immediate treatment. She didn’t want any contagious disease spreading rapidly through the bus. She made a big deal about this. Not because she was paranoid. She wasn’t. She was striving to prevent a repeat of bad past experiences, and she only knew a stringent medical model to follow.

Curiously, the first 3 days of travel were a bit chilly and rainy. Travelers started coughing, including one of our children. It got rather out of hand, and in our case, I feared being told we had to go to a local doctor.

That evening, to bring the health problems to a close, my family prayed together for our own health, and for the protection of the whole bus load of people.

We affirmed that we all lived in an atmosphere of divine Love where health prevailed, and that only goodness was circulating in that vehicle. We knew that everyone expressed a perfect God, which included perfect health, and that divine law kept everyone healthy regardless of whether it was rainy or not. The material view of weather didn’t matter. Only the spiritual truth about weather had an impact.

Looking back, the coughing stopped the next day or so, and that was the end of any evidence of health problems, that I was aware of. I’m not sure I heard a single cough on the whole bus for 12 days after that. And, as the guide reported, there were no medical issues the entire trip. Hooray! And thanks to God’s ever-present care.

Weather is always a concern when traveling in Switzerland and expecting to see the Alps, for it rains frequently, which means view-obstructing clouds! Anticipating this fear beforehand, I did some preemptive prayer work to know that the views we sought were spiritual ones, and always clear and unobstructed. There would be no mental clouds of fear or doubt in the way of us seeing the great vistas of Truth that lay before us in the land called Switzerland. I did not worry about rain and clouds, or fear bad weather. I knew it rained in Switzerland, and expected it to rain, but also expected to be rewarded for trusting in God’s wise planning and disposition of events as we proceeded with the tour. And that was the case.

It was quite amazing to witness…but the day of our drive to the base of the Matterhorn was terribly stormy. The next day, when we rode the gondola to the top, all clouds evaporated and the view was spectacular. Our bus driver said it was the clearest view he had seen in the five years he had been driving that route. He went to the peak with us.

And our stop at Jungfrau, advertised as the “Top of Europe,” was equally as impressive. Cloudy weather sandwiched our arrival and departure, but the day of our train ride to the summit, the sky cleared and the view was jaw-dropping. Our guide said she had never seen a clear day like that in the 2 years she had been taking groups to the top.

And the list of blessings goes on.

I’m happy to be headed home now. I look forward to getting back into the full swing of the practice and preparing the teens for school.

With Jenna in her senior year, we have college to think about. Oh boy! Can’t wait for the tuition bills…but, I consider them already paid. God is the provider, and the provision is in place before there is a perceived need. We are going to listen carefully for God’s plan.

I’m posting a few random pictures below that we thought were particularly beautiful. I am not an experienced photographer by any means, but had a lot of fun clicking away. My wife has the better camera, and much more experience at snapping the picturesque shots, so the better pictures you see likely were taken by her. But I get a good one in now and then…

Enjoy

Wooden bridge across river in Lucerne

The miracle in the monastery

While driving through another Swiss village, our tour guide pointed to a monastery on a hill in the distance. She said that her group used to visit that building years ago, but had ceased visiting it. In a moment of elation she interjected, “The only time I have ever seen a miracle in my life was in that monastery years ago.” And she continued to explain…

She said that while a monk was explaining the history of the hospice to her group of travelers standing in the sanctuary, one of the women went into painful contortions. She, the tour guide, became very alarmed as this woman struggled and strained and could barely contain herself. The suffering lasted about 5 minutes, then ceased. The woman became a picture of peace and calm.

After the talk, the tour guide rushed over and asked her what the matter was. The woman cried and said, “I can see!” Sixty years of age at the time, she explained that since she was a little child, she was blind in one eye. During the past few minutes, she said, that without warning, she was struck with severe pain in that blind eye. After intense struggle, the pain ceased and she could see. She was exuberant.

Her ability to see color was also restored. She started pointing to the different colors on people’s clothes and the flowers and the paintings, colors she hadn’t been able to see for almost 6 decades.

Alarmed and unsure about what she was hearing, the tour guide insisted the woman accompany her to a local doctor and get checked out. She obliged, and the doctor said the woman was fine, and could not believe she had been blind in one eye.

The restored woman returned home to Australia, and reports came back later to the tour guide that the healing was permanent.

The tour guide chuckled and said, “So, the next year when I returned to the monastery, I told the monk about the healing that had happened in his sanctuary, and he responded, “Garbage! Nothing like that ever happens here.” He refused to believe anyone had a healing as described there in his church home. The tour guide found the monk’s response contradictory and hard to believe, but nonetheless, said she was telling the story the way it happened.

After hearing the story, I asked myself, “Are we all ready and willing to accept miracles of healing at anytime? Or are we like the doubting monk who wasn’t even open to the possibility?”

Some of the views along the way...

The eagle eye

While traveling through Switzerland, I have been impressed with how much time and resources that have gone into protecting the land from invading enemies over the centuries. There are castles everywhere!

Yesterday, we stopped at a viewpoint while going over a pass, and there was a commemorative statue of an eagle overlooking the valley below. The eagle was built and placed there to remember a handful of soldiers who stood guard over the pass during WWII. It was a strategic location to protect the country from invasion.

As I looked around at the surrounding territory, the location was obviously the right one to protect. On each side were high Alp peaks that made traveling impossible except through the valley pass. The only route through was right where that eagle was stationed. The squeeze point was the point of vulnerability that needed to be protected for the safety of all behind that point.

In seeking a spiritual lesson, I thought about the passageways of the human mind that need to be protected—points of vulnerability, if you will.

To progress in life, we have to defend ourselves from the invading armies of fear and error that would steal our joy, health and well being.

There are places in everyone’s thought that are super strong, like those Alp peaks on either side of the pass. They don’t need protecting, so much, for the pertinent truth is clear. But there may be other aspects to life we feel unsure about that need shoring up. These channels of vulnerability need extra guard until our demonstration of immunity to harm is made.

For example, if we’re inclined to gluttony, the temptation to overeat would be a point of vulnerability that needs extra defense work. Or, if we overspend, the temptation to buy things we don’t need is a point of vulnerability that needs extra defense work to keep the invading army of debt from overwhelming our home front.

The eagle statue is engraved in my mind, for now, as a firm reminder that I must stand guard and watch over any valleys of vulnerability I feel in my life until I have demonstrated them out of my life. I must not be naïve and ignore any passageways the enemy of fear might pursue to try and invade my thought and throw me off guard.

“Watch,” as Jesus instructed. With an eagle eye…

Lots to get or to give?

The question of the day to answer for me was…

Do you see yourself as a person who has lots to give, or lots to get?

Yesterday, my daughter wanted to do a bit of shopping here in St. Moritz, where we’re staying for two days. So I agreed to go with her for a couple of hours.

Honestly, shopping can be one of the most exhausting activities on earth. I do it once in a while because I need clothes to wear and other odds and ends, and I don’t mind looking for fun on occasion. But I frequently last about 20 minutes and my enthusiasm meter starts sinking quickly. My wife really dislikes shopping, which is a good thing by the way! It sure helps keep the bills down.

Anyway, getting sidetracked…as we were walking down the street, and mostly window shopping, I asked myself why shopping often leaves me feeling depleted if I do it for very long.

Then it hit me, “Shopping is about getting stuff. It’s not about giving. It’s about getting.” And when you think you need to “get something,” you obviously believe you lack something, and you unwittingly start to manifest the belief of lack in other ways than just what doesn't sit on your shelf at home.

I started to reason my query through spiritually.

Life is Love, as we learn in Christian Science. Life is experienced at its best when we are engaged in some activity of Love.

Love is about giving, sharing, caring, and participating in the beneficence of God’s grace upon one and all, and these kinds of mental engagements uplift thought, inspire attitude, and give wholesome meaning and purpose to life. They keep us healthy too.

As I pondered my question, I realized that if we begin our day with, “I need something,” we’re reasoning out from a premise of lack. And I’m not talking just about getting things. It could be getting attention, getting famous, getting known, getting money, getting someone to do something our way, getting revenge, getting angry, and all of their kin. An attitude that believes it needs to get something believes it lacks something. And this is not a cool way to live. It’s can be downright miserable, honestly.

I realize there are millions of people in the world who have yet to receive the basics for human survival, like food and shelter. I’m not talking about those kinds of needs. That’s a whole different subject to address.

But back to my question…”Do I see myself as someone who has lots to give, or as someone with lots to get?”

As I walked around the lake at St. Moritz this morning with my son and wrestled with the implications of answering this question aright, I easily concluded that “I have lots to give!” And I truly do. Why? Not because I possess a lot of good myself. I don't. I don't possess any good. I reflect it as God's image. And God is infinite. As God's image, I have lots to give...in fact an infinite amount of goodness and love to give.

I’m still learning it, but two decades ago when I entered the full-time practice of Christian Science, I came to terms with the truth that God is my Source, my Supplier, and my Sustainer. The world could not offer me anything that was better and more enriching than what came directly to me from divine Love, I decided. Life is not about getting. That is the self-centered mortal way of vainly seeking what comes only from Spirit. Life is about giving.

In giving we receive, and in true unselfish giving we receive mightily and abundantly. It’s just the way the law of Love works. Give and you shall receive, as Jesus taught and demonstrated.

This was a very productive day in the spiritual course of things, and I'm grateful for it. I like the idea of consciously knowing, “I have lots to give!” It’s very freeing. I encourage you to give it a try, if you haven’t already!

Lake with St. Moritz in the background

Be content with what you have

One of our early stops was at the Gruyere castle and neighboring town.

Have you ever heard of Gruyere cheese?

The Gruyere family ruled over a beautiful lush valley and surrounding area for 500 years, building a family fortune, castle, and powerbase. However, Michal, one of the descendants who eventually ruled, was not content with what he had. He borrowed money from neighboring aristocrats and merchants to finance expansive ventures and lavish spending habits. He went heavily into debt and failed to repay his creditors.

Finally, the creditors, many headquartered in Bern, joined together to collect their due.

Organizing a raid against Michal, they stormed his castle and took all of his valuables and treasures, stripping Michal of his prestige, remaining resources, and ability to rule. Michal lost his castle and his kingdom, and his family’s dynasty ended.

Backside of Gruyere Castle

The castle sits on a hill with a beautiful view.

While we walked through the grounds I remembered the Biblical verse, “Be content with what you have.”

Michal was not too smart to squander away 500 years of family success in the span of a few greedy years.

In jest, I told my children, “If you don’t want to lose your castle, don’t go into debt!”

Debt can have a supportive role to play at times when managed correctly, held to a minimum, and used for purposes that enable the debt to be paid back. But in this age, when taking on debt has been taken very lightly in many cases, I’m doing my best to teach my children the evils of debt when incurred for selfish purposes.

Gratitude for what one has, however modest, can spare many a year of suffering for getting in deeper than one is able to climb out of.

My children chuckled and said, "Yeah, dad." They've heard this message before!

It is enriching to understand that the treasures of Truth and Love are the greatest riches of all. When one makes the pursuit of understanding, wisdom, and sound decision-making a priority, and stays constantly grateful for what one has, it's much less tempting to take on debt that can't be repaid. Wisdom steers us clear and helps us find spiritual solutions that keep us free of enslavement to the world. Then we can avoid the fate of Michal and preserve the hard work that's been done.

Gruyere cheese at a local factory

Jumping to the wrong conclusion

Have you ever made a wrong snap decision about someone, and then treated them in a hurtful way that you later regretted?

I heard a sobering story today that illustrates the evils of jumping to the wrong conclusion.

In centuries past, the Alps were treacherous and dangerous places to travel. Many brave souls braved the threat nonetheless, and hundreds, if not thousands, lost their lives in the attempt.

To aide stranded travelers, a society of monks set up a rescue mission of sorts through one of the frequently traveled passes. They trained St. Bernard dogs, who were especially equipped to brave the rugged weather, to seek out, sniff out, and aide people who got sick, lost, buried in avalanches, or stranded on their way.

Barney, called the greatest St. Bernard of all, built a long list of successful rescue missions, including that of a young child he found barely alive in the snow on the unforgiving slopes of the mountain. The boy’s parents, who lived down in the valley, were in trouble, and taking a mind of his own to save them, he decided to get to the other side of the mountain where help was available, and bring aide back to save his folks. He didn’t make it. The storms were too much. But on one of Barney’s solo treks, he found the boy. And no one knows how, but somehow, Barney got the unconscious lad on his back and brought him to the monastery where the monks resuscitated him.

Another time, Barney found a deserter of Napoleon’s army unconscious and teetering on the edge of death. Barney licked the man backed into consciousness. Barney lay close to the man to warm him up. When the soldier finally came to, looked up and saw the big beast, in alarm, he reacted out of fear and killed the dog. That was the end of Barney, the man’s savior and of dozens of other lost travellers.

The story is a tragedy.

I thought of times in human life when similar bad endings occur, if not as severely.

At times, people are doing what they perceive to be nice things for others, but the other person doesn’t see the act that way. The recipient sees evil where the giver believes they are bestowing good. The recipient acts cruelly, and the giver is disheartened, saddened, and their spirit is killed to a degree, by the unkindness returned.

How does one prevent such unfortunate circumstances from occurring?

I suppose one way, is to never react in fear, and secondly, to carefully weigh the motives and intent of the giver. When patient, thoughtful and caring, we can make clear judgments and wise decisions. A genuine love and care for the well being of everyone around us cultivates a propensity of goodwill toward the individuals we meet.

After hearing the story of Barney, I decided to make an extra effort to correctly see, acknowledge and honor all the Barneys of the world!

Some of the Alps travellers faced

St. Moritz

We drove through the town of Maurice, Switzerland, today, and heard a most interesting story of why the town was named Maurice, plus hundreds of churches, and even two countries, including Mauritania, after the namesake of Moritz.

Moritz was much loved in this region during his time, which was in the late 200s AD. He was a leader of a Roman army stationed in the area. He was also a Christian.

The legend of Moritz began to build when he was first ordered by the High Command in Rome to harass Christians in the neighboring territory which is now France. He refused to comply. As punishment, his army was decimated, which meant one in ten of his soldiers were killed.

A second command came to persecute Christians. Moritz refused again, and as punishment, his army was decimated a second time, 600 of 6000 troops being murdered.

A third command was issued to do the same, and again, Moritz refused. This time his entire army was murdered, including Moritz. And that was the sad ending of his life. But the locals remembered the favor he had bestowed upon them, and have commemorated him ever since holding him in high esteem.

The story teller mentioned that Moritz was ahead of his time, for Constantine converted to Christianity around 325, I think she said, and then the tables turned. Constantine had issued an order for people to convert to Christianity, and if they didn’t, they were persecuted.

“Oh, the horrible atrocities that are committed in the name of religion,” I heard in the bus, as one rider expressed dismay over the evils religious groups commit against each other.

Her final comment gave me pause, for I’ve heard this exact type of statement many times before, and it’s always made me uncomfortable.

For example, I believe people who call themselves Christians and kill in the name of Christianity are not acting in accord with Christian teachings. They are following a selfish agenda and using Christianity as a cloak to cover their crimes. Jesus never taught people to kill. He taught his followers to love their enemies, not to murder them.

The comment, “The awful crimes that are committed in the name of religion,” tends to skew the picture of what the real problem is. The evil is not religion, but the evil motives and deeds of criminals who hide behind religion and use it to justify their wicked deeds, but couldn’t be further from living it in their heart.

The comment tends to give religion a bad name, and unfairly so. Religion has many good qualities that serve billions of people in many positive ways. It’s the criminal instinct manifest as lust, greed, hate and dark ego that need to be exterminated, and not allowed to mingle and mix with religion so closely that people can’t tell the difference. Religion is not the criminal. Abuse of it is.

It’s amazing what topics rise to the surface for mental wrestling when taking a road trip through Switzerland….

A taste of Switzerland

Conquering fear of heights

Do heights ever make you uncomfortable? They do me, at times. I’ve never been fond of looking over the edge of a super deep canyon, or riding in a gondola car that takes one to atmospheric heights. I’ll do it, and I’m getting better at it, but still have progress to make.

Today, I made major progress in finding peace about heights while riding in a gondola car to the top of the Matterhorn.

It was one of the most jaw-dropping rides I’ve ever taken in terms of spectacular scenery and views on the way. But what caught my attention even more, was that we were really really high up! When I looked down over of the sides of the car, I wanted to close my eyes and stand in the middle of the car.

I asked myself, “Why do you feel nervous about being hundreds of feet above deep crevasses, rocks and valleys below?” The answer was easy. “Because this car is man-made, the cables are man-made, they are material, and they will eventually fail, and they might fail today!” And to emphasize the point, mortal mind continued with, “And you can’t argue with that can you? You are in danger, and that’s just the way it is.”

My spiritual sense instantly rebelled at the suggestion that I was in a helpless or hopeless situation. I knew that wasn’t true, but I was struggling with the “This car is man-made and might fail,” part.

I thought backward to Truth, and remembered that God is the creator of all things. The human mind might call God’s creations, or ideas, Gondola cars, cables and steel towers, but in actual spiritual fact, all things that exist are spiritual, immortal, and indestructible. They do not fall apart, and they do not fail.

I suddenly realized that I felt fear because I was seeing myself as mortal in a material situation. No wonder I was afraid! That would always be a precarious position to be in. Nothing is reliable in mortality.

So, I did a freeing reversal of everything mortal mind was trying to convince me of. I reversed the belief that the gondola was man-made. That was impossible. All engineering ideas come from divine Mind. The whole cable-car ride to the top of the mountain, and the safety of it, was designed in Mind and revealed through the engineers that put those towers in place. The same Mind that created the original idea, was maintaining it. I was not riding in a material car made by human hands. I was standing in the omnipresence of Love. The force and power of Love was holding us in the sky, not cables and towers. The cables and towers may have represented the invisible support of the divine, but they were not the support. The support was divine.

With this breakthrough in reasoning, I found quick peace in knowing the hand of God was literally underneath that car holding it in place while we traveled from one peak to the next. There was no space between me and safety. There was no distance between me and firm ground to stand upon. I was standing upon spiritual ground, and it would not fail me.

My fear melted. I relaxed and enjoyed the view. It was breathtaking.

I got a more profound glimpse than ever that we truly live in a universe of divine Mind, not an atmosphere of matter. The reason I had been afraid is because I was thinking I lived in a material situation that was dangerous. Once I accepted that I live in a universe of Spirit, and was traveling in it, the fear dissolved.

From the top. The Matterhorn in the background.

I’m sure I’ll be tested again, but this was a banner day for conquering fear of heights! In the heights of divine Mind, there is nothing to be afraid of.

Oh, and the view from the top, once I got there, was awesome beyond words. It was worth the mental obstacles I had to overcome to get there. As is true with all new heights we attain in our metaphysical journey Spirit-ward.

View of Matterhorn from Zermatt, where we stayed.

What castle do you live in?

Today our bus stopped in front of the Chillon Castle, just outside of Montreaux, Switzerland. When I looked over the precipice to see the bottom of the massive structure and I saw water all the way around the base, I exclaimed, “Wow! A real castle!” I hadn't seen one with a moat before.

If you haven't seen Chillon Castle in person, you’ve likely seen it in a movie. It’s very famous, if not by name, then by looks.

Chillon Castle was built on a rock just out of the reach of land. A drawbridge connects the mainland to the front door. And waaaay down the sides of the castle there is water all the way around. A moat type of waterway is on one side, and Lake Geneva on the other. It’s very impressive—if you’re into castles.

While touring the monument I started to ponder why castles had outlived a meaningful purpose, other than to serve as tourist destinations. Kings, dukes, counts and their like, built them to protect their political, economic, and territorial claims. But over time, enemies discovered the weak spots of such structures, and they were not sufficient to protect kingdoms any longer. For instance, Chillon Castle could hold enough food and supplies for 40 days habitation by its dwellers. If under siege, what were the trapped to do after 40 days? So, rulers had to find more effective ways to protect their kingdoms. Castles became obsolete, ineffective, and burdensome.

I thought about other kinds of castles that people live in today, not of brick and mortar, but of beliefs and fears.

For example, believing a mighty portfolio of stocks and bonds protects from future misery and suffering, is a type of castle. It might feel like an impenetrable wall of defense against poverty and lack while the value and size increases, and other factors stay happy in life. But what if the enemy strikes in a different way, through the belief of a hopeless disease, for instance, and the money suddenly has no relevance. A health cure is needed which money cannot buy.

Or what about basing one’s happiness on the presence of family and friends, and putting them all around you. Then one day, they start to disappear for myriad reasons. Isn’t that a type of castle that eventually fails to deliver on its promise?

Or what about body appearance, believing the perfect body makes one successful, wins opportunities, gains social status, and brings happiness? Then, one day, the body doesn’t conform to the material ideal any longer and disappointment and despondency set in. Isn’t that a type of castle that eventually fails us?

What about body and drugs? Isn’t there frequent belief today that the body is a type of castle, a dwelling place that needs to be protected from invaders, called germs, viruses, and bacteria? To defend the castle, the body is filled with drugs (fighting soldiers). But people continue to get sick anyway, and with ever worsening diseases. This castle of human belief is not impregnable. The enemy keeps getting in.

Over time, and through substantial spiritual growth, it will be learned that the body is not our castle, and drugs are not our defenders. We are reflections of Soul, and our spirituality is absolute immunity against any potential invaders.

What castle do you live in?

After thinking through the above, I decided that the safest castle to dwell in is a consciousness of Truth and Love. The child of God’s creating is not a vulnerable mortal having to fend off invading material enemies. The child of God is a spiritual reflection of divine Light that is truly impregnable to any evil or threat because no darkness can enter the Light. The Light is a safe place to dwell! A castle of Light is a safe place to sleep at night and reside during the day.

Chillon Castle from Lake Geneva

The sound of music

While driving a scenic route through part of the Alps today, we stopped at a viewpoint to take in the majesty of the mountains around us. While our eyes feasted on snowcapped Mount Blanc in the distance, our ears were greeted with the most unexpected sound.

Cowbells! Cows were everywhere in the hills.

If you are not aware, Swiss farmers put a bell on each cow, I assume, in order to find them easily when they roam around in the forest. The bells ding on the necks of the bovines while they nod their heads up and down grazing on lush green grass. From our vista point, we could hear dozens, if not hundreds, of bells chiming throughout the hills.

At first, we didn’t notice the tinkling we were so busy taking in the scenes. But finally someone said, “Listen. Hear the bells!?” We all quieted down and listened. Our jaws dropped. Our eyes lit up. Huge smiles swept across our faces.

The chiming of the random bells was gorgeous. Beautiful! It sounded like different musical bell choirs here and there alongside the hills. Like wind chimes gently sounding in a breeze.

A group of bells would be happily dinging to our right, countered by another group of cheery bells dinging on our left, and all around in between. The hills were alive with music! It was awesome. It was absolutely delightful.

Right where one had expected to find only the quiet of peaks and the stillness of pasture, a musical choir of bells were chiming away a melody of peace and contentment.

I thought of the many times in life when we get our thought so focused on a specific objective, that we miss out on good things happening all around us. We live in a universe of Mind that is filled with signs of wonder and awe. But we have to take time out to listen and hear.

Can you hear the bells of joy chiming from where you stand at this moment? Are you listening? Do you notice?

For the attuned ear, the music is inspiring.

The valley of bells in the early morning light

Off to Switzerland

“Why Switzerland?” a number of our friends asked us when we told them we were travelling there this month. My wife told them, “I’ve always wanted to see the Alps.” And I told them, “My wife has always wanted to see the Alps!” Seriously, there are more reasons for the trip...

Kathy loves the outdoors, the trees, the mountains, and fresh smell of greenery in the air, and we were looking for a place in Europe to take our children and expose them to another part of the world before they headed off to college. I also had a few hundred thousand air miles ready to expire if I didn’t use them soon. So, after a year of planning, saving, and more planning, we packed up our two teenagers, and off to Zurich we flew on August 10.

Every parent has a different way of bonding with their children, I suppose. It all comes down to love and attention, and there is no substitute. But I have to say, a family trip together now and then, has always been a benefit for me in raising our son and daughter. With our busy daily lives, we are apart so much of the time. On a trip, we’re together 24 hours a day for several days in a row, and issues, thoughts, comments, observations, cares, and concerns surface in conversation and action that otherwise never make an appearance, or at least, not a well noticed one. I get to know my children better every time we travel together, and I believe they get to know me better too. The mutual experiences we share make for a closer, happier and healthier family. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a far away vacation to make this happen. A camping trip to the mountains works very well, or a day working on a major project in the yard, or building something together, and more have similar effects.

But regardless, on the 10th we were off to the airport at 5:15 a.m. ready for a big family adventure.

On the way to catch our first plane, we had our standard prayer-session that we always do when beginning a trip. We reminded ourselves that we travel in the omnipresence of Love, that God keeps us healthy and well every moment, that there is no danger wherever we go—only the safety and protection of divine Love in which we live and move and travel. We agreed to keep an understanding and cheerful attitude toward each other, to always look for the good, to not let any conflict or divisiveness stir between us, to support each other, look out for each other, and help each other have a wonderful time.

Our connections where very tight on the way over, but each flight arrived early, and the weather was excellent all the way. Our bags made it with us. Hooray! And we arrived at our designated hotel in great shape.

We’ve never stayed in a major metropolitan hotel before that had dairy cows grazing blissfully in a neighboring pasture. The dong-dong of the cow-bell on the head mistress of the handful of bovines was a delight to hear. And the lush greenery everywhere, combined with colorful flowers gracing yards, and balconies, walks and windowsills, were just the touch that promised the beginning of a wonderful adventure in the land of cheese and chocolate.

Our trip was off to a good start…

Bern, one of our first stops